Based on Barack Obama’s landmark speech ‘The Audacity of Hope’, former Phoenix dancer Warren Adams’ The Audacious One is a taut, passionate look into a world of political intrigue and power. Originally created for BalletMet this first interpretation by a contemporary dance company brings a whole new dimension to the piece. Danced to selected movements from Mozart’s unforgettable Requiem, The Audacious One examines the question ‘What do we do once we agree to disagree?’ through fluid, challenging and exciting choreography for seven sharply dressed dancers.
"frenetic, energetic and quite outstanding"
The Stage, September 2010
"there are no soggy pieties in this tautly constructed group piece"
The Guardian, December 2010
"danced with emotional conviction"
Dance Europe, December 2010
The Audacious One is supported by
WARREN ADAMS | CHOREOGRAPHER
Warren Adams is the Founder and CEO of Home4Dance, The Premier Network for Dance: www.home4dance.com
Born and raised in South Africa, Warren has 15 years of professional experience as a director, choreographer, producer and performer in Dance, Opera, Theater, TV and Film, including dancing with Phoenix from 1996-1998.
He recently choreographed Magdalena the Opera at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, Toy Story the Musical for Disney and Nora Ephron’s last film Julie and Julia starring Meryl Streep. Upcoming work includes the Pulitzer Prize winning play Ruined in South Africa.
Other theatre includes: Life is a Dream (South Coast Rep), Camille (Fisher Center), I See London, I See France (NYMF), World Drummers (Hong Kong Disney) and Der Zwerg the Opera (Fisher Center).
Film and TV: The View starring Ben Vereen (ABC), The Windrush Gala and The Sportsbank Documentary (BBC) and Top Billing (SABC). He also worked on the film Bewitched starring Nicole Kidman.
Ballet and Contemporary highlights: The Audacious One (Ballet Met), Worlds Apart (Ballet Theatre Afrikan), Cornered (Phoenix Dance Company)
Warren is the first recipient of the Linbury scholarship to study at the Rambert Ballet School in London, as a result of a meeting that took place between Lady Anya Sainsbury and President Nelson Mandela. In 1995 and1996 he was also the winner of the Rudolf Nureyev Award in Europe. Warren has served as a Guest Lecturer at Princeton University in the Theatre Department and currently resides in New York City.
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D minor was composed in Vienna during the last year of the composer's life, 1791. His final composition, it remains one of his most popular works, despite the knowledge that it remained only partially completed upon his death and was instead probably finished by Franz Xaver Süssmayr. In total Mozart composed over 600 works before he passed away aged just 35.
MICHAEL MANNION | LIGHTING DESIGNER
Michael is a partner in the lighting consultancy Eye for Detail. He specialises in designing for dance. He has had numerous commissions throughout Britain, Europe and South Africa, and his work has spanned designs for touring companies, site-specifics and installations. He has created designs for Rambert Dance Company, The Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Javier De Frutos, Ashley Page, Athina Vahla, Protein Dance Company, Shobana Jeyasingh, Hofesh Shechter, Rafael Bonachela, Charles Linehan, CandoCo, the re –opening event at the Royal Festival Hall and many others.
Michael also conducts courses in lighting design at Tertiary, BA and MA level, in London, Denmark and South Africa. He has taught lighting master classes for the British Council in Kazakhstan.
LORNA CLAYTON | COSTUME DESIGNER
Since graduating from the Arts Institute at Bournemouth in 2006, Lorna has toured nationally and internationally as a Wardrobe Mistress with a diverse range of productions. These include Eclipse Theatre’s The Hounding of David Oluwale and Birmingham Stage Company’s Horrible Histories and Kensuke’s Kingdom. Lorna has also worked at Northern Ballet Theatre, Opera North and with Raymond Gubbay Productions.
Whilst still working as a freelance costumier, Lorna has been working with Phoenix Dance Theatre since 2007 and in 2009 became the Costume Supervisor, designing and making for, amongst others, Isira Makuloluwe’s Locked in Vertical, Richard Wherlock’s Switch and most recently Kwesi Johnson’s SoundClash.
PAUL LIBURD MBE | GUEST DANCER
Paul will be appearing as a guest dancer in The Audacious One.
Born in Leeds, Paul started dancing under the guidance of Nadine Senior MBE at Harehills Middle School Leeds, and then went on to study at the London School of Contemporary Dance. He was a member of London Contemporary Dance Theatre 1987 to 1992, Irek Mukhamadov & Dancers 1994, Rambert Dance Company 1992 to 2004 and Scottish Ballet as a soloist in 2004 to summer 2010.
He was awarded the Cosmopolitan/Scholl Award in 1985, represented Great Britain in the Eurovision Young Dancer of the Year in 1987 and received the BBC Yorkshire Black Achievers Award in 1992. Paul received the Critic's Circle Award for Outstanding Male Dancer 2004 (Contemporary) in 2005 and in June 2009 he was awarded an MBE in The Queens Birthday Honours for services to dance. In January 2010 he received the 2009 Dancing Times Award for Best Male Dancer at The Critics' Circle National Dance Awards.
Rehearsals: revealed - The Audacious One
Choreographer Warren Adams talks about what inspired The Audacious One and gives a glimpse into the rehearsal process.
